Coins of the pound sterling

Current coins

Decimal coinage was adopted as the official currency of the UK on February 15, 1971.

• One Penny (£0.01), 1971-
• Two Pence (£0.02), 1971-
• Five Pence (£0.05), 1968-1990 and 1990-
• Ten Pence (£0.10), 1968-
• Twenty Pence (£0.20), 1982-
• Fifty Pence (£0.50), 1969-1997 and 1997-
• One Pound, 1983-
• Two Pound (£2.00), 1986-
• Five Pound (£5.00), 1990- (special issues, not in common circulation)

Description of current British coinage

Denomination	Diameter	Thickness	Weight	Composition	Edge
One penny	20.03 mm	1.65 mm	3.56 g	Copper-plated steel	milled
Two Pence	25.90 mm	1.85 mm	7.13 g	Copper-plated steel	smooth
Five Pence	18.00 mm	1.70 mm	3.25 g	Cupro-nickel	milled, wire or flat edge
Ten Pence	24.50 mm	1.85 mm	6.50 g	Cupro-nickel	milled, wire or flat edge
Twenty Pence	21.40 mm	1.70 mm	5.00 g	Cupro-nickel	smooth, seven-sided
Fifty Pence	27.30 mm	1.78 mm	8.00 g	Cupro-nickel	smooth, seven-sided
One Pound	22.50 mm	3.15 mm	9.50 g	Nickel-brass	milled with inscription
Two Pound	28.40 mm	2.50 mm	12.00 g	Inner: Cupro-nickel Outer: Nickel-brass	milled with inscription STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

Demonetized Coins

• Half Penny (£0.005), 1971-1984

Pre-decimal system

£1 = 20 shillings.
1 shilling = 12 pence.
£1 = 240 pence.
1 penny = 4 farthings.

As the symbol, £, for the pound is derived from the Latin pound, the libra, so the old abbreviation for the penny, d, was derived from the Roman denarius. The shilling was denoted by the letter s or jointly with pennies separated from them by the solidus (slash). The English penny was derived from a small silver coin minted by Charlemagne which was in general circulation in Europe during the middle ages.

The standard way of writing shillings and pence is

• • 5/6 for 5 shillings & sixpence
  • 5/- for 5 shillings only, with the dash to stand for zero pennies.

• Guinea (21s) 1663-1799, 1813
• Crown (5/-) 1526-1937
• Half Crown (2/6), 1816-1969
• Florin (2/-), 1849-1993, as old Ten Pence
• Shilling (1/-), 1816-1990, as old Five Pence
• Sixpence (6d), 1816-1980
• Groat (4d) 1279-1662, 1838-1855
• Threepence (3d), 1937-1971
• Penny (1d), 1860-1971
• Halfpenny (0.5d), 1860-1969
• Farthing (0.25d), 1860-1960

• Maundy money

In medieval times, the penny was a silver coin. English silver pennies are a collectible and are frequently offered for sale on eBay. By entering a search for "silver penny" on eBay one may view many illustrated offerings.

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Royal Mint